DAGUPAN CITY – After a week-long validation visit by the National Validating Team for the Presidential Award for the Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities on July 25 to 28, this city got a commendable rating as a child-friendly national finalist.
Dagupan was conferred as the region’s 2016 Child-Friendly City anew and qualified as one of the finalists in the national presidential awardee along with Santiago City.
As per the findings and evaluations of the team headed by their team leader Roel Delos Reyes of the National Council for Social Development along with Rosauro Arceo of the Department of Agriculture, Erickson Mag-isa of the Department of Labor and Employment and Jacob Taguinod for the Council for the Welfare of Children, the city’s programs and projects on the welfare and protection of children in the city are commendable under the guidelines set by the National Council for the Welfare of Children.
The city underwent evaluation on its planning and policy formulation; city health, nutrition and solid waste management programs; education; free late registration of births; City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office equipment; child development centers; Barangay Council for the Protection of Children.
Several programs and practices instituted by Mayor Belen T. Fernandez like the free late registration of births, creation of the Task Force on the Prevention of Street Vulnerables, the Manlingkor Ya Kalangweran were recognized as commendable programs and practices by the National Validating Team.
The recommendations given by the team were more on sustaining the different programs and practices instituted by the city in the protection and promoting the welfare of the children in the exit conference.
Elated with the findings and recommendations of the National Validating Team, Mayor Fernandez expressed confidence that Dagupan will finally be bestowed the award as the country’s Child-Friendly City in the independent component city category in the national awarding this coming September. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/July 28, 2017)